The children of Lauriston Castle forest kindergarten are enjoying a morning outdoors, inventing mud meals and playing imaginary cafe. The woodland, which is located in the north-west of Edinburgh city, has become their outdoor classroom for the day, with the children clad in waterproofs and carrying lunch boxes as they gather around the lower branches of the trees. A black labrador joins them, only adding to their excitement.
Outdoor learning is increasingly being seen as beneficial for children, with evidence suggesting it can positively impact everything from eyesight to risk assessment to resilience. Scotland, in particular, has focused on outdoor, play-based learning for early years, with several local authorities making ambitious plans to expand outdoor learning as part of the Scottish government’s commitment to a near-doubling of funded childcare by 2020. This includes providing 1,140 hours a year for all three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, and making outdoor learning a defining feature of childhood in Scotland.
The Lauriston Castle kindergarten is part of an Edinburgh city council pilot offering 600 hours of nursery and 500 hours of forest annually, with 100 staff undergoing a three-day training course to become forest leaders. Despite the clear benefits of outdoor learning, many nurseries in the UK, particularly in England, struggle with inadequate space and a minority of children not getting daily access to outside play.
Rachel Cowper, play programme manager for Inspiring Scotland, a social justice organisation funded by the Scottish government to work with local authorities to develop outdoor learning, cautions against setting targets and instead advocates for a culture change among adults. This includes overcoming traditional views about weather, where Scotland’s default weather, rain, can be seen as an obstacle to outdoor learning. However, she remains optimistic, citing the positive reactions of the children at Lauriston Castle kindergarten, who embraced the rain and turned it into a learning opportunity.
Heather Douglas, the early-years manager at Glasgow City Council, has noted that the benefits of outdoor provision are applicable to everyone. Historically, outdoor education has been a privilege of the articulate middle class, who have recognized its positive impact. However, there is now a need to educate younger parents, who have grown up in the age of screens, about the benefits of outdoor learning. Fortunately, Inspiring Scotland has demonstrated that community engagement is effective in this regard.
One significant advantage of outdoor education is that it can be achieved without spending a lot of money. All the outdoor areas are situated within walking distance, which eliminates the need for transportation expenses. Moreover, constructing large, expensive buildings is not necessary since a shelter is adequate. The only investment required is in acquiring suitable warm, waterproof clothing for both teachers and children. Unlike conventional nurseries, no fancy toys or equipment is needed, as the natural environment provides everything required.
The limitations of built-up urban environments are also a consideration. In particular, there is insufficient space for outdoor education activities. However, there are numerous magnificent public parks in Glasgow, which could be utilized as a base for outdoor nursery shifts. Additionally, there are unused outdoor spaces located adjacent to existing nurseries that could be re-registered and converted to outdoor areas. Furthermore, small-scale rewilding could be done to these areas, which would significantly enhance their appeal to children and provide further space for outdoor activities. Glasgow City Council plans to look into all these blank spaces within the city, including scrubby wastelands, to maximize opportunities for children to engage with nature. Parks provide excellent opportunities for outdoor learning, and there is no reason why they couldn’t be full of children learning about the environment.
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